SMBs modernize IT infrastructure for growing mobile use

MANILA, Philippines – HP today announced new products and services that help small and midsized businesses (SMBs) simplify their IT infrastructure to accelerate business gains from mobile access.

The use of mobile devices in the workplace allows for sophisticated business and process management applications to be accessed remotely ensuring productivity remains consistent regardless of location. However, SMBs traditionally have static and fragmented IT infrastructures, making it difficult to rapidly or efficiently respond to infrastructure demands driven by a mobile workforce and virtualized applications.

To simplify IT management for SMBs and ease the transition to a modern infrastructure, HP has expanded the HP Converged Infrastructure portfolio with new storage and network solutions that improve employee productivity by providing secure access to business applications and data via mobile devices.

ADVERTISEMENT

In addition, HP is offering training programs that address SMBs’ end-to-end mobility challenges by enabling them to acquire the resources needed to boost business responsiveness in the evolving mobile marketplace, quickly and easily.

“Mobility will soon be a normal part of every SMB workplace, as it moves from being used primarily for email to supporting critical business applications such as CRM and sales inventory,” said Robert Anderson, Research VP at Gartner, Inc. “Small and midsize businesses must align and modernize their existing IT capabilities to take advantage of the business benefits and competitive differentiation mobility brings.”

Modernizing storage in a mobile world

Data growth and application demands are evolving as mobility continues to drivean explosion of data and changes the way applications are used and accessed.

SMBs need simple, scalable and economical storage platforms that respond tothese new requirements, while also supporting dynamic workloads and rapidgrowth of both structured and unstructured data.

HP is offering new storage solutions that provide scalability, reliability andavailability to handle evolving business demands. The new offerings include:

• HP StoreVirtual Storage, based on the HP LeftHand operating system and HPProLiant Generation 8 (Gen8) technology, is a scale-out storage platform withflexible deployment models to support virtualization requirements. The offeringincludes features that allow SMBs to add physical storage without disruptionand the ability to simply move data across virtual or physical storage with just afew clicks, enabling IT to non-disruptively increase storage requirements.

ADVERTISEMENT

• HP StoreEasy Storage is a single integrated storage solution that supports fileand application workloads with built-in deduplication and encryption. Midsizebusinesses can no longer afford to add “just another file server” to addressthe explosion of unstructured data from mobile devices. Native Windows®integration enables SMBs to immediately configure and manage HP StoreEasyStorage without learning a new proprietary storage management system.

HPStoreEasy Storage supports 10,000 users in a three-unit form factor, as wellas multiple workloads from a single, consolidated platform that is cost-efficient,highly-secure and reliable.

Mobilize workers with simplified network managementSMBs, as well as government agencies, are supporting a growing mobileworkforce that requires access to rich-media and bandwidth-intensiveapplications such as videoconferencing. However, with limited financial andhuman resources, these organizations need solutions that are easy to use,reliable and cost-effective to maintain.

The HP M220 Series Access Point, the newest addition to the HP FlexNetworkarchitecture, provides increased bandwidth while simplifying networkmanagement and maintenance for growing SMB organizations.

The HP M220 streamlines wireless network management with “clustering”technology that enables SMBs to deploy and manage up to 10 network accesspoints as a single entity, rather than a series of separate wireless devices.

Clustering technology enables IT administrators to easily deploy and configurenew rich media applications as well as add wireless devices to the networkwithout downtime. In addition, the solution improves network security bydetecting and eliminating rogue access points as well as reducing security riskscaused by misconfigured access points.

The HP M220 includes a Quick Setup Wizard that leverages an easy-to-useweb interface to streamline multiple access point configuration. The Quick SetupWizard provides five deployment scenarios allowing clients to select the bestwireless network environment for their company.

Collaborating with HP, the technology expert

With access to a broad range of technologies and programs, SMBs can simplify IT operations to improve employee productivity. These offerings include:

• The updated HP Client Virtualization SMB Reference Architecture for Citrix VDI-in-a-Box supports 50 percent more users (1) than the previous version. It reduces the cost and complexity of deploying desktop virtualization, allowing employees to securely and remotely access desktops, applications and the company’s server anywhere, anytime from any client device. Critical user data is saved on the server instead of the mobile device, ensuring it is not lost, stolen, damaged or pirated.

• The HP Learning Initiative for Entrepreneurs e-Learning (HP LIFE e-Learning) program provides cloud-based online training sessions at no additional cost, to improve key IT and business skills from anywhere and any device. HP LIFE e-Learning now offers e-mentorship with HP professionals, along with webinars and other relevant resources with emphasis on leveraging mobility to drive growth.

Availability

The new HP StoreVirtual Storage 4130 and 4330 models are available now. HPLeftHand Operating System 10.0 software is available at no cost to current HPLeftHand P4000 G2 platform clients.

The HP StoreEasy Storage system is available now.

The HP M220 Series Access Point is available now through HP and itsauthorized channel partners.

Subscribe to INQUIRER PLUS to get access to The Philippine Daily Inquirer & other 70+ titles, share up to 5 gadgets, listen to the news, download as early as 4am & share articles on social media. Call 896 6000.